Bulgarian Parliament gives final approval to amendments to constitution
Bulgaria’s Parliament approved on December 20 the third and final reading of amendments to the constitution.
A total of 237 MPs voted, with 165 in favour, 71 against and one abstention.
The votes in favour came from MPs for GERB-UDF, We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
WCC-DB MP Boiko Rashkov abstained, on the grounds of objecting to Parliament having a quota to elect six out of 10 members of the new Supreme Prosecutors Council.
The votes against came from Vuzrazhdane, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and ITN.
The amendments to the constitution were tabled on June 28 by WCC-DB MP Hristo Ivanov, GERB-UDF leader Boiko Borissov, MRF MP Delyan Peevski and a number of MPs from these three parliamentary groups.
In contrast to the second-reading stage, held on December 19, the third-reading stage involved voting on the amendments as a whole, not clause-by-clause.
The amendments, as reported by The Sofia Globe on December 19, involve restructuring of the judiciary, curtailing the powers of the head of state in regard to appointing a caretaker cabinet, and allowing Bulgarian citizens who hold an additional passport from another country to serve as MPs and members of the cabinet.
(Photo: parliament.bg)
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